Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1887-01-10

described with glowing speech the
horse races he had witnessed, talk
ing learnedly of breeding. and told
thrilling stories of his battles with
the Indians in the Northwest. The
hours slipped rapidly away.aud when
the train was nearing Lexington the
two exchanged cards and parted witE
a cordial shake of the hands. The
governor drove TO an Inn, and to a
number of friends he remarked that
the time had never seemed so short
before.
ssThen you must have had pleasant
company aboard.
"You are right. | met gentle
man of unusual intelligence. We
conyersed all the way over. l never
was brought in contact with more
agreeable man.
Indeed Who was he?" asked
his friends.
"Wait minute; have his card.
and the governor felt in a pocket,
ami produced a bit of pasteboard.
His name is King"
Not Bob king?' shouted doz-
en- in a breath.
Yes, gentlemen Robert King
that is the way the card reads, was
the proud reply.
A roar of laughter followed.
why, governor, Bob King is as
deaf as a post. He was born deaf
and dumb y
Some Of the young European at
taches at Washington are good box
ers. but the Frenchmen are also vers-
ed in the ''savate," an art of self-de-
fence and of offence to others, which
is quite as effective and quite as much
of an art as boxing. Sullivan would
deny its equality in nobleness. Ia
stead OF the fist and arm, the imme-
diateIy efficient instruments are the
foot and leg. which are employed for
tripping and striking the adversary
with curious sleight and force. A
master of the art who handles his
leg scientifically will trip down or up
an unpractised man in a twinkling of
the tibia, or by peculiar, swinging
movement by which the weight of his
body IS lent to the blow, deal stun
ming stroke with his foot on the ribs
or even the head of his opponent.
The Moon Story, which appeared
in the Fall OF 1885 in the columns of
the New York Sun, was the most gi-
gantic newspaper hoax ever perpe-
tfated. 1t was known that Sir John
Herschel had gone to the Cape of
Good Hope, to make observations
with new instruments of extraordin-
airy power. Then there appeared a
seII05 "a r-rora st---rihinn who, Sir
John had discovered. They purport-
ed 20 be copied from the pages of
supplement to the Edinburg (scot-
landl Journal of Science, exclusive
copies of which had been received at
the Sun office.
It was known that the atmosphere
of the Cape of Good Hope is une-
quaIled for purity. and of course has
corresponding facility of celestial OBJ
seryation. and when it was stated.
Fhat nobody among Us could under
take TO deny, especially as it was
said TO be confirmed by actual obser-
walton. that the great object glass of
the astronomers chief telegraph was
a lens Of seven tons weight, no great
wonder was felt if the results fIom
its use were unexampied. 1t was
said, then, in the alleged report OF
the ''great discoveries, that so great
was the magnifylng power Of this in
strument $4,000 times) that it could
impaTt to objects at the distance Of
the moon a degree of visibility equal
to that enjoyed by objects on our
eaEth not more than one hundred |
yards of. This put 1t within st.
Johns power to view, not only the |
larger class of natural objects in the |
moon, but 70 see with ease the dwell |
ings, animals, and even persons of |
the Lunarians, which be accordingly |
described,
The descriptions of Luna scenery
all believed. There was so much ver- |
isimilitude, such shrewd and appar-
emily accurate scientific phraseology, |
that scientists found it no easy task
why they should not give the story |
credence. But when there came de- |
of the web-wings appended |
to the favorite inhabitants of our sat !
elite, constituting them in appear
ance a sort of manbat, strong scepti- |
cism of the whole story was mani
Tested. Edgar Allan Poe, the poet,
speaking Of the immense success of |
the '.moon hoax" states "'that not |
one person in ten discredited 1t, and
(strangest point Of aIl) the doubters
were chiefly those who doubted with
out being able 10 say why-the Ignor-
ant, those uniformed in astronomy,
people who would not believe be-
cause The thing wag 90 novel, 50 en-
tireIy sout of the usual way A
grave professor Of mathematics In a
Virginia college told me seriously